Dubois’ power and Gorman’s skill make this British heavyweight title needle match ALMOST too close to call

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Wally Downes

12 Jul 2019, 13:40

Updated: 12 Jul 2019, 14:46

DANIEL DUBOIS and Nathan Gorman are bringing glitz, needle, power and skill back to the British heavyweight title this Saturday.

The former Team GB sparring partners collide with only 44 years and 27 fights between them and shared promoter Frank Warren is dreading pitting his two hot prospects against each other.

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Daniel Dubois and Nathan Gorman are both undefeated going into the fight

But fight fans are getting to see the Lonsdale belt contested by two hungry young lions in a real 50-50 fight with 21-year-old Dubois the heavy-handed KO artist and Gorman, 23, the silky Traveller stylist.

Or will Dubois restore order in the division by settling the five-year long grudge with a trademark KO?

EXPERIENCE

Nathan Gorman is the great nephew of one of the most feared bare knuckle fighters in British history, Bartley ‘King of the Gypsies’ Gorman but his size made it hard for him to fight as a youth.

Aged 11 he was almost 11st and he was a 15st super-heavyweight aged just 15, in eight years as an amateur he could only find opponents for 12 fights.

Thankfully, once called up to Team GB, Gorman was doing hard sparring with Olympic silver winner Joe Joyce, future unified champ Joshua and one Daniel Dubois.

And Gorman insists he never lost a single practice round against Saturday night’s opponent, out of around 300.

Rating: 2/5

Big Dave Dubois started taking son Daniel down to the Peacock Gym when he was just five years old and he was instantly hooked.

Aged 16 he was still slim and athletic but a protein packed diet and punishing strength and conditioning sessions helped sculpt him into 17st and 6ft 6in of pure muscle.

Between the ages of 11 and 18, Dubois lost just six times but rejected the chance to push for a place at the 2020 Olympics to turn pro.

British heavyweight gatekeepers like David Howe, AJ Carter, Dorian Darch and DL Jones were dispatched early on.

Rating: 3/5

POWER

One-punch KO power appears to be lacking from Gorman’s artillery but it is yet to harm his progress.

Speed and precision are the keys to the Traveller’s promise and he puts combinations together very well.

Most of Gorman’s early opponent’s have been foreign journeymen who have boxed very defensively and left him few openings, but he has managed to stop 11 of his 16 and Dubois will not be anywhere near as cautious.

Rating: 2/5

Dubois has demolished 10 of his 11 opponents inside the distance, with only wily 39-year-old veteran Kevin Johnson taking him to points.

Romanian giant Razvan Cojanu lasted all 12 rounds with then WBO champ Joseph Parker in 2017 and did the same with Gorman in 2018 but Dubois obliterated him inside two rounds in March to demonstrate his strength.

In 2015, Anthony Joshua was poleaxed by an 18-year-old boy nicknamed Dynamite and the steam train has hardly stopped running up to the O2.

Rating: 4/5

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SPEED

Gorman, all 6ft 4in of him, is quicker than he looks and a new diet should make him even more nippy on his toes.

The Nantwich man has always been nimble for 19st but he has trimmed over a stone off ahead of this bout which will make him even more rapid.

Comparisons have been made with shock unified champion Ruiz Jr and, while Gorman is not eager to play up to that, if he uses his agility to bamboozle the muscle man, it will be accurate.

Rating: 3/5

All that muscle should make Dubois’ frame difficult to shift and speed is one of the departments he might be conceding to Gorman on paper.

Cojanu, just before he was cleaned out, dragged Dubois into a Royal Albert Hall shootout and orange-bearded Richard Lartey caught him a few too many times in April over four rounds.

With a reach of 78in, Dubois has not had to worry about being quick but, like AJ found out against Ruiz Jr, his reflexes will have to lightning when the shorter man tries to sneak passed his jab.

Rating: 2/5

SKILL

Gorman's trainer Ricky Hatton and promoter Frank Warren both like to compare Gorman to his cousin and gym-mate Tyson Fury.

The five-inch height difference makes it difficult to subscribe to entirely but they definitely move in very similar styles, look annoyingly difficult to hit and put together rapid combinations.

Everything Gorman does appears natural and the fact he doesn’t have concussive punch power has forced him to work on all facets of the sport, much like fellow gym-mate and undefeated world champion Billy Joe Saunders.

Rating: 4/5

Warren hailed Dubois as the most talented teenage heavyweight he had ever seen and we have been treated to masterclasses in power so far.

A full range of skills have yet to be shown but a step-up in class is perhaps what is required to bring the best attributes out of a fighter so spoiled by natural advantages.

Trainer Martin Bowers would like his star pupil to work ‘off the line’ more, limiting the amount of predictable moving that could be telegraphed by an opponent and a sense of stiffness is something his few critics point to.

Rating: 3/5

CHIN

It’s excellent for Gorman’s movement and speed that the new father-of-two is now weighing around 17st 10lbs but it will have taken away some of his resilience.

If Gorman is quick and clever enough to not get touched then his whiskers will not be tested.

And he remains confident in his resilience and claims he has never been dropped.

Rating: 3/5

Dubois spars regularly with hammer-handed cruiserweight Lawrence Okolie, so will be no stranger to a big right hand and he was tagged by Lartey and Cojanu in his previous fights, before KO wins.

Hard-hitting drug cheat Alexander Povetkin has also flown him out to Russia for tough rounds so his jaw should be well seasoned.

Rating: 3/5

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